A few of my favorite things…

Well, looks like the season of tagging and being tagged is here again on the blogosphere (or did it never end). In any case, picking up the tag from AJCL, here goes my list of favorites in groups of 4 –

Four places I have lived

Bangalore – Was, is and will always remain home for me. Born, brought up and spent the first 24 yrs of my life here, so there’s no way any other city would even come close to it in terms of closeness to my heart.
Indore – Went there as part of my Post Graduation. Another city which really helped me get in touch with the real me, with what I wanted to do with myself in life. The 22 odd months spent there will indelibly be etched into my memory and psyche.
Hyderabad – This city gave me (and continues to give me) more than enough opportunities to prove my professional capabilities. Although I hate what the rest of the city has to offer, will forever remain as the city where I started off proving myself professionally.
Charlotte, North Carolina – Although I have spent only 4 weeks here, this city was yet another place where people respect me for what I bring to the table in terms of Relationship Management and Team Leadership. So this remains another favorite place.

Four TV Shows that I love(d) to watch

FRIENDS – Without an iota of a doubt my all time fave show. I can relate individual traits in myself to each and every character in this show. While I am biased towards Joey, somehow I find myself relating more to Chandler Bing.
Knight Rider and Street Hawk – Back in the Doordarshan days, these serials introduced me to the wonderful world of superheros and secret identities. At times I even wanted to get into crime-fighting because of these shows.
The Amazing Race – This to date remains my all time fave reality show. The tasks designed, the locations chosen, the profiles of the contestants, all of these make this show more and more interesting as the seasons go on.
WWE Shows – The World Wrestling Entertainment to me is what mega serials are to Maamis, and cricket is to Appa. This is my daily dose of nonsense masala which I can enjoy without exercising my brains too much. Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker were, are and will probably remain role models in terms of longevity in public memory.

Four places that I have been on vacation

London – The trip to the Ol’ Blighty during the last week of Dec 2008 will remain etched in my memory for more than one reason. This was the first real trip with the Missus, plus it was during the Christmas Day and Boxing Day weekend, which made it all the more hectic and an experience worth enjoying.
Palakkad – Have been to this place on and off almost once a year for the past 20 odd years. Lots of childhood memories associated with this good ol’ town from where I hail.
Chennai – The presence of my closest cousin here till 2004 almost made it mandatory that I would make a trip to this city every once in a while. Although it’s been more than 5 odd years now, memories of this place still stay with me.
Coorg – Man, that one official trip from office to Coorg is something that still sticks out in my memory. The fun we had, the weather, the gang of guys, the soccer, the drinking, all of this makes Coorg one of my fave holiday destinations.

Four favorite food items

Regular kozhakattais – Or modaks as our Hindi friends would like it to be called. The fact that something so awesome can be made with rice powder, jaggery and coconuts still baffles me. I would gobble down at least 12 kozhakattais right now if I had access to them.
Semia Payasam – There’s no better dessert than well made semia payasam with the correct proportion of vermicelli, sugar and milk in it. Add some cashew nuts (roasted in ghee) and some elaichi powder and you have made my day.
Avial – Now humans still have to come up with a dish which beats the Avial to mix with good ol’ white rice and eat. The fact that this dish has almost all my favorite veggies in it adds the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Filter Kaapi – I simply have to have my one cuppa filter kaapi sometime in the day. This drink has the ability to change my mood, reduce tensions, kill my headaches, all at the same time instantaneously.

Four websites I visit daily

A journey called life – Now this daily dose of mothering incidents and advice from a good friend is what keeps me grounded, and makes me look forward to parenting at some point of time in the future.
Facebook – This social networking tool has moved beyond just a means of keeping in touch with friends from IIM Indore. Some of the apps here, and the groups here can keep me occupied for more than just a few hours. Sigh, I wish I had more time to spend on Facebook than I already do.
Wikipedia – I almost always find something or the other which is interesting enough here. The fact that this is a treasure trove of information apart, this site has the amazing ability to keep pulling people back into its fold almost everyday.
Twitter – Have started tweeting more seriously and more regularly recently. Follow me – jairammohan

Four places I’d rather be

Although I have always maintained that I’d rather be me than anybody or anywhere else, for the purposes of this tag, here goes –
Bangalore – For almost everything associated with this city, good and bad.
London – For the sheer awesomeness of the public transport facilities provided here.
Mumbai – Just to see if I can live a robotic, mechanical life like the people there already do.
Palakkad – Just for the serenity and quiet that this place has to offer even during weekdays.

Four things I hope to do before I die

Appear on the cover of Businessworld or some other Indian business magazine.
Author a novel or a book of short stories.
Get to actually meet Kamal Haasan and spend at least 2-3 hrs with him.
Get to conduct a Quiz which is televised and telecast all over the country.

Four novels I wish I was reading for the first time

The Last Emperor
If God were a banker
Married but arrogant
The House of Blue Mangoes

Four movies that I can watch over and over again

The Dark Knight
Michael Madana Kamarajan (Tamil movie)
Forrest Gump
Terminator 2 : Judgment Day

Four people I want to tag

Sreeram
Bhasky
Kavi
KarSub

Cheers……….Jam